Method of manufacturing an absorbent article having fully encircling bodyside and garment-side waistband

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing absorbent articles comprises delivering a continuous web assembly including a backsheet material, a liquid permeable bodyside liner material, and an absorbent structure interposed between the backsheet material and the bodyside liner material, the web assembly having a body-facing side and a garment-facing side; attaching a discrete segment of first waist elastic material to the body-facing side of the web assembly; attaching a discrete segment of second waist elastic material to the garment-facing side of the web assembly such that the web assembly is interposed between the discrete segments of first and second waist elastic materials; and cutting the web assembly to form a plurality of absorbent articles.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a method of manufacturingabsorbent articles, and more particularly to a method of manufacturingabsorbent articles having bodyside and garment-side waistbandsconfigured to fully encircle a waist of a wearer.

BACKGROUND

Exemplary absorbent articles include training pants, diapers,incontinence products, disposable underwear, medical garments, absorbentswim wear, and the like. Training pants (albeit, not exclusively) aredisposable absorbent articles configured for use in the toilet trainingprocess. Toilet training is a process that includes many trainingtechniques and aids that can be used by parents or other caregivers. Oneaspect of the total toilet training process is changing from the use ofdiapers to the use of training pants to help the child understand thathe or she should now use the toilet.

Many caregivers underestimate the difficulty of teaching the toilettraining process to young children. If a child does not respond to aninitial toilet training instruction or introduction, the caregiver canbe at a loss for finding techniques, methods, or teaching tools toencourage the child to master the art of toilet training. Thus, whilevarious teaching tools such as books, videotapes, charts with stickers,personalized toilets, and interactive toilet training kits areavailable, there remains a need for improved motivational mechanisms tofacilitate the toilet training process.

One motivational mechanism is the use of training pants having animproved aesthetic appearance. Specifically, a child is encouraged towear a garment that resembles underwear worn by older children. Thus,there is an ongoing need to increase the appeal of the toilet trainingprocess to children, and to improve the aesthetic appearance of trainingpant. However, it is important that any modifications to the trainingpants to meet these needs do not compromise the use of the articles orany functional features of the articles (e.g., wetness indicators,absorbency, leakage protection, etc.).

Current training pants typically include an outer cover, a bodysideliner, and an absorbent structure disposed between the outer cover andthe topsheet. Some known training pants include outwardly extendingfront and back side portions that can be joined together, eitherpermanently or refastenably, in respective pairs to form sides of thepant. An elastic waistband material is often bonded between the outercover and the bodyside liner, or to the body-facing side of the bodysideliner, adjacent one or both of the longitudinal ends of the trainingpant to define a gathered waistband. The elastic waistband material isoften not readily visible to either the caregiver or the wearer.Further, the elastic waistband material is typically positioned onlywithin a central portion of the training pant. The side portions of thetraining pant (i.e., the front and back side portions) are often freefrom the waistband material. That is, the waistband material is nottypically located on the side portions of the training pant.

Thus, the waistband material of conventional training pants is typicallydiscontinuous, extends around only a portion of a wearer's waist duringuse, and is not readily visible from either the garment-facing side orthe body-facing side of the training pant. Moreover, the gathers formedby the waistband, which are often only in a central portion of thetraining pant, are absent from the side portions. As a result, currenttraining pants have a waistband that is significantly and obviouslydifferent from typical underwear, which typically have a fullyencircling waistband visible from the body-facing side and thegarment-facing side. In addition, the discontinuous waistband of typicaltraining pants detracts from their aesthetic appearance.

Accordingly, there is a need for a training pant having fully encirclingbodyside and garment-side waistbands and a manufacturing method thatenables a waistband to be placed on the bodyside and garment-side of atraining pant to form a fully encircling waistband.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method for manufacturing absorbent articles isdescribed. The method comprises delivering a continuous web assemblyincluding a backsheet material, a liquid permeable bodyside linermaterial, and an absorbent structure interposed between the backsheetmaterial and the bodyside liner material, the web assembly having abody-facing side and a garment-facing side; attaching a discrete segmentof first waist elastic material to the body-facing side of the webassembly; attaching a discrete segment of second waist elastic materialto the garment-facing side of the web assembly such that the webassembly is interposed between the discrete segments of first and secondwaist elastic materials; and cutting the web assembly to form aplurality of absorbent articles.

In another aspect, a method for manufacturing absorbent articles isdescribed. The method comprises providing an absorbent assemblyincluding a liquid permeable bodyside liner, and an absorbent structureunderlying the bodyside liner material; delivering a continuous web ofchassis material having a body-facing side and a garment-facing side;attaching the absorbent assembly to the web of chassis material to forma continuous web assembly; attaching a discrete segment of first waistelastic material to at least one of the body-facing side of the chassismaterial and the absorbent assembly; attaching a discrete segment ofsecond waist elastic material to the garment-facing side of the chassissuch that the chassis is interposed between the discrete segments offirst and second waist elastic materials; and cutting the web assemblyto form a plurality of absorbent articles.

In yet another aspect, a method for manufacturing absorbent articles isdescribed. The method comprises delivering a continuous web of liquidimpermeable backsheet material in a machine direction; delivering acontinuous web of liquid permeable bodyside liner material in themachine direction; providing a plurality of absorbent structures;attaching the web of backsheet material to the web of bodyside linermaterial such that the absorbent structures are interposed between theweb of backsheet material and the web of bodyside liner material;delivering a continuous web of first waist elastic material in thecross-machine direction; cutting the web of first waist elastic materialto form a plurality of discrete first waist elastic members; attachingthe first waist elastic members to the web of bodyside liner material inthe cross-machine direction; delivering a continuous web of second waistelastic material in the cross-machine direction; cutting the web ofsecond waist elastic material to form a plurality of discrete secondwaist elastic members; and attaching the second waist elastic members tothe web of backsheet material in the cross-machine direction such thatthe webs of backsheet material and bodyside liner material areinterposed between one of the first waist elastic members and arespective one of the second waist elastic members.

Other features of the invention will be in part apparent and in partpointed out hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective of one suitable embodiment of an absorbentarticle shown in the form of a training pant, the training pant having amechanical fastening system fastened on one side of the training pantand unfastened on the opposite side thereof.

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom plan view of the absorbent article of FIG. 1with the training pant in an unfastened, unfolded and laid flatcondition, and showing a surface of the training pant adapted to faceaway from the wearer during use.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top plan view similar to FIG. 2 but showing asurface of the training pant adapted to face the wearer during use,portions of the training pant being cut away to show underlyingfeatures.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one suitable embodiment of an absorbentassembly suitable for use with the training pant of FIGS. 1-3 in anunfolded and laid flat configuration, portions of the absorbent assemblybeing cut away to show underlying features.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the absorbent assembly of FIG. 4 in afolded and laid flat configuration, portions of the absorbent assemblybeing cut away to show underlying features.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the absorbent assembly of FIG. 4 takenalong line 6-6.

FIG. 7A is a cross-section of the absorbent assembly of FIG. 5 takenalong line 7A-7A.

FIG. 7B is a cross-section of the absorbent assembly of FIG. 5 takenalong line 7B-7B.

FIG. 8A is a cross-section of another suitable embodiment of anabsorbent assembly for use with the training pant of FIGS. 1-3 takenthrough a crotch region of the absorbent assembly.

FIG. 8B is a cross-section of the embodiment of FIG. 8A taken through aback waist region of the absorbent assembly.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of another suitable embodiment of an absorbentarticle in the form of a training pant showing a surface of the trainingpant adapted to face the wearer when worn, portions of the training pantbeing cut away to show underlying features.

FIG. 10 is a side perspective of another suitable embodiment of anabsorbent article shown in the form of a training pant, the trainingpant having a fully encircling elasticized waistband system includingbodyside and garment-side waist elastic members.

FIG. 11 illustrates a bottom plan view of the absorbent article of FIG.10 with the training pant in an unfastened, unfolded and laid flatcondition, and showing a surface of the training pant adapted to faceaway from the wearer during use.

FIG. 12 illustrates a top plan view similar to FIG. 11 but showing asurface of the training pant adapted to face the wearer during use,portions of the training pant being cut away to show underlyingfeatures.

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of another suitable embodiment of anabsorbent article in the form of a training pant showing a surface ofthe training pant adapted to face away from the wearer when worn.

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 but showing a surface of thetraining pant adapted to face the wearer during use, portions of thetraining pant being cut away to show underlying features.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustrating one suitable method formanufacturing an absorbent article having the fully encirclingelasticized waistband system illustrated in FIGS. 10-14.

FIG. 16 is a schematic illustrating another suitable method formanufacturing an absorbent article having the fully encirclingelasticized waistband system illustrated in FIGS. 10-14.

FIG. 17 is a side perspective of another suitable embodiment of anabsorbent article shown in the form of a training pant, the trainingpant having bonded side seams formed along the sides of the trainingpant.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, one suitableembodiment of an absorbent article is illustrated in the form of achild's toilet training pant and is indicated in its entirety by thereference numeral 20. The term absorbent article generally refers toarticles that may be placed against or in proximity to a body of awearer to absorb and/or retain various exudates from the body. Theabsorbent training pant 20 may or may not be disposable. Disposablerefers to articles that are intended to be discarded after a limitedperiod of use instead of being laundered or otherwise conditioned forreuse. It is understood that the embodiments of the present disclosureare suitable for use with various other absorbent articles intended forpersonal wear, including but not limited to diapers, swim diapers,feminine hygiene products (e.g., sanitary napkins), incontinenceproducts, medical garments, surgical pads and bandages, other personalcare or health care garments, and the like without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

By way of illustration only, various materials and methods forconstructing training pant such as the pant 20 of the various aspects ofthe present disclosure are disclosed in PCT Patent Application WO00/37009 published Jun. 29, 2000 by A. Fletcher et al; U.S. Pat. No.4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,766,389 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Brandon et al., and U.S. Pat. No.6,645,190 issued Nov. 11, 2003 to Olson et al., which are incorporatedherein by reference.

As seen in FIGS. 1-3, the training pant 20 has a front waist region 22,a back waist region 24, and a crotch region 26 disposed longitudinallybetween and interconnecting the front and back waist regions. The frontwaist region 22, the back waist region 24 and the crotch region 26 areindicated generally by the respective reference numbers. The trainingpant 20 also has a pair of laterally opposite side edges 28 and a pairof longitudinally opposite waist edges, respectively designated frontwaist edge 30 and back waist edge 32. The front waist region 22 iscontiguous with the front waist edge 30, and the back waist region 24 iscontiguous with the back waist edge 32.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the training pant 20 includes achassis, indicated generally at 34, and an absorbent assembly, indicatedgenerally at 36, attached to the chassis 34. Arrows 60 and 62 in FIGS. 2and 3 depict the orientation of a longitudinal axis and a transverse orlateral axis, respectively, of the training pant 20. The illustratedabsorbent assembly 36 extends longitudinally from the front waist region22 through the crotch region 26 to the back waist region 24. While theillustrated absorbent assembly 36 is shown and described herein asextending from the crotch region 26 into both the front and back waistregions 22 and 24, it is contemplated that the absorbent assembly 36 mayextend from the crotch region 26 into primarily the front waist region22, or into primarily the back waist region 24, without departing fromsome aspects of this disclosure. Further, the absorbent assembly 36 mayextend any suitable length along the crotch region 26 and/or into thefront waist region 22 and/or the back waist region 24.

In the illustrated embodiment, the chassis 34 and the absorbent assembly36 are formed separately from one another. It is contemplated, however,that the chassis 34 and the absorbent assembly 36 may be integrallyformed with one another in some embodiments. It is further contemplatedthat in some suitable embodiments the absorbent assembly 36 can bedisposable and the chassis 34 can be non-disposable. It is furthercontemplated that the absorbent assembly 36 can be configured to beinserted into conventional underwear. For example, the absorbentassembly 36 can include garment adhesive, as is known in the art, foradhering the absorbent assembly to the underwear. In such an embodiment,the underwear would define the chassis 34.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chassis 34 includes a longitudinallyextending central portion 38, a pair of laterally opposite front sideportions 40 extending outward from the central portion 38 at the frontwaist region 22 (thereby forming transversely outer portions of thefront waist region, and more broadly in part forming transverselyopposite sides of the training pant), and a pair of laterally oppositeback side portions 42 extending outward from the central portion at theback waist region 24 (thereby forming transversely outer portions of theback waist region, and together with the front side portions 40 furtherdefining the sides of the pant). In the illustrated embodiment, thecentral portion 38 extends from the front waist region 22 through thecrotch region 26 to the back waist region 24 of the training pant 20.

In one suitable embodiment and as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front sideportions 40, the back side portions 42, and the central portion 38 areformed from the same sheet of material. In other suitable embodiments,one or more of the front side portions 40, the back side portions 42,and/or the central portion 38 may be formed from two or more separateelements. For example, in one suitable embodiment, the front sideportions 40 and/or the back side portions 42 can be formed separatelyfrom and attached to the central portion 38. It is contemplated that insome suitable embodiments, the back side portions, the front sideportions, or the central portion 38 (at least in the crotch region 26 ofthe training pant 20) can be omitted. For example, in one suchembodiment, the central portion 38 can be omitted from the region 26 ofthe training pant 20. The front side portions 40 and the back sideportions 42 can then be formed from separate sheets of material (inwhich case the front side portions 40 and back side portions 42 are moreaccurately described as panels). For example, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 9, a training pant 420 includes front and back sidepanels 502, 504 formed separately from and secured to the absorbentassembly 36, described in more detail below. In such an embodiment, atleast a portion of the crotch region 26 of the training pant 420 is freeof the chassis.

The chassis 34 has a minimum width 134 taken along the lateral axis 62of the training pant 20. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, theminimum width 134 is located along the central portion 38 (FIG. 2) ofthe chassis 34, and within the crotch region 26 of the training pant 20.The minimum width 134 of the illustrated chassis 34 generallycorresponds to a portion of the training pant that is positioned betweenthe legs of the wearer and covers the lower torso of the wearer,specifically the perineum region of the wearer.

The chassis 34 may comprise any suitable material including, for exampleand without limitation, a liquid permeable material that provides agenerally cloth-like texture. The chassis 34 can be a single layer ofmaterial, or a multi-layered laminate structure. The chassis 34 orportions thereof may also be made of those materials of which the liquidpermeable bodyside liner 48 is made. In other suitable embodiments, itis contemplated that the chassis 34 can be liquid impermeable. It isfurther contemplated that the chassis 34 can be vapor impermeable orvapor permeable (i.e., “breathable”).

One suitable “breathable” material is composed of a microporous polymerfilm or a nonwoven fabric that has been coated or otherwise treated toimpart a desired level of liquid impermeability.

It is also contemplated that the chassis 34 may be stretchable, and moresuitably elastic. In particular, the chassis 34 is suitably stretchableand more suitably elastic in at least the transverse, or circumferentialdirection of the pant 20. In other embodiments, the chassis 34 may bestretchable, and more suitably elastic, in both the transverse and thelongitudinal direction. It is contemplated that the chassis 34 can bestretchable in any suitable direction.

The absorbent training pant 20 and more specifically the chassis 34 mayinclude a front waist elastic member 78, a rear waist elastic member 80,and/or leg elastic members (not shown), as are known to those skilled inthe art. The waist elastic members 78, 80 can be attached to the innersurface of the chassis 34 (i.e., the surface of the chassis that facesthe wearer when worn) or the outer surface of the chassis 34 (i.e., thesurface of the chassis that faces away from the wearer). Likewise, theleg elastic members can be attached to the inner surface of the chassis34 or the outer surface of the chassis 34 along the opposite side edges28 and positioned in the crotch region 26 of the absorbent training pant20. The leg elastic members can be longitudinally aligned along sideedges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36, or the leg elastic members can bealigned with the opposite side edges 28 of the absorbent article.

While the training pant 20 of the illustrated embodiment has a pair ofrefastening seams 70 disposed on the side of the pant (one seam beingillustrated in FIG. 1), it is understood that the seams can be locatedat any suitable location on the pant and that the seams can bepermanently attached (e.g., by adhesive, ultrasonic bonding, pressurebonding, thermal bonding). Moreover, while the illustrated refasteningseams 70 are defined by loop fastening components 90 (broadly, a “firstfastening component”) selectively engageable with hook fasteningcomponents 92 (broadly, a “second fastening component”), it iscontemplated that any suitable refastenable fasteners can be used suchas other types of mechanical fasteners, adhesive fasteners, cohesivefasteners.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the absorbent assembly 36 of the illustratedembodiment is attached to the chassis 34 along at least the crotchregion 26 of the absorbent training pant 20 by an adhesive, ultrasonicbonds, thermal bonds, pressure bonds, or the like. Suitable adhesivescan be applied continuously or intermittently as beads, a spray,parallel swirls, or the like. Suitable ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds,and/or thermal bonds can be formed continuously or intermittently alongthe absorbent assembly 36 to effect the attachment of the absorbentassembly 36 to the chassis 34. In the illustrated embodiment, theabsorbent assembly 36 is permanently attached to the chassis 34. Theterm “permanently attached” is synonymous with terms such as“permanently joined,” “permanently adhered,” and “permanently bonded,”and is intended herein to refer to an attachment that is generally notreleasable without some damage or substantially reduced functionality ofthe components that are permanently attached. In another suitableembodiment, the absorbent assembly 36 is releasably attached to thechassis 34 by refastenable fasteners suitable for absorbent articles,such as adhesive fasteners, cohesive fasteners, mechanical fasteners(e.g., interlocking geometric shaped materials, such as hooks, loops,bulbs, mushrooms, arrowheads, balls on stems, male and female matingcomponents, buckles, snaps) or the like.

While the absorbent assembly 36 illustrated in FIG. 3 is shown anddescribed herein as being attached to the chassis 34 along the crotchregion 26, it is contemplated that the absorbent assembly 36 may beattached to the chassis 34 along any one or more of the crotch region26, the front waist region 22, and/or the back waist region 24, withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. Further, the absorbentassembly 36 may be attached to the chassis 34 along any suitable lengthand/or area of the chassis 34.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the illustrated absorbent assembly 36 isgenerally rectangular in shape having a front end 54, a back end 56, andlongitudinally extending side edges 58. The absorbent assembly 36 isillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 as having a rectangular shape, although itis contemplated that the absorbent assembly 36 may have other suitableshapes without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the front and back ends 54, 56 of theabsorbent assembly 36 define respective portions of the front and backwaist edges 30, 32 of the training pant 20. It is contemplated, however,that the front end 54 and/or back end 56 of the absorbent assembly 36can be spaced inward from the front and back waist edges 30, 32 of thetraining pant 20. In such an embodiment, the front and back waist edges30, 32 of the training pant 20 are defined solely by the chassis 34. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the side edges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36can be spaced slightly inward from the side edges 28 of the absorbenttraining pant 20. In other embodiments (see, e.g., FIG. 9), the oppositeside edges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36 can form portions of the sideedges 28 of the absorbent training pant 20. It is further contemplatedthat the front end 54 and/or back end 56 of the absorbent assembly 36can be folded over (in a direction away from the chassis 34) to create apocket.

In one suitable embodiment, the absorbent assembly 36 comprises a liquidimpermeable backsheet 46 and a bodyside liner 48 attached to thebacksheet in a superposed relation by suitable means such as adhesives,ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds, thermal bonds or other conventionaltechniques. An absorbent structure (or absorbent core) 50 is disposedbetween the backsheet 46 and the bodyside liner 48. A pair ofcontainment flaps 52 is integrally formed from the absorbent assembly36, as described in more detail below, for inhibiting the lateral flowof body exudates.

In one suitable embodiment, the backsheet comprises a material which issubstantially liquid impermeable. The backsheet 46 can be a single layerof liquid impermeable material, or may comprise a multi-layered laminatestructure in which at least one of the layers is liquid impermeable.Multiple layers of the backsheet 46 may be suitably joined together byan adhesive, ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds, thermal bonds, or thelike. Suitable adhesives can be applied continuously or intermittentlyas beads, a spray, parallel swirls, or the like.

The backsheet 46 can be both liquid and vapor impermeable, or, moresuitably, it may be liquid impermeable and vapor permeable. Thebacksheet 46 can be manufactured from a thin plastic film, althoughother flexible liquid impermeable materials may also be used. Thebacksheet 46 prevents waste material from wetting articles, such as bedsheets and clothing, as well as the wearer and caregiver.

In one suitable embodiment, the liquid impermeable material can permitvapors to escape from the interior of the disposable absorbent article,while still preventing liquids from passing through the backsheet 46.One suitable “breathable” material is composed of a microporous polymerfilm or a nonwoven fabric that has been coated or otherwise treated toimpart a desired level of liquid impermeability.

It is also contemplated that the backsheet 46 may comprise a liquidpermeable material, or the backsheet 46 may be omitted from theabsorbent assembly 36 altogether. In such embodiments, the chassis 34suitably comprises a liquid impermeable material to provide a liquidbarrier to body exudates. In one embodiment in which the backsheet 46 isomitted, the bodyside liner 48 is attached to the chassis 34 such thatthe absorbent structure 50 is disposed between the bodyside liner 48 andthe inner surface of the chassis 34. In another suitable embodiment,both the absorbent structure 50 and the bodyside liner 48 are attachedto the chassis 34.

It is also contemplated that the backsheet 46 may be stretchable, andmore suitably elastic. In particular, the backsheet 46 is suitablystretchable and more suitably elastic in at least the transverse, orcircumferential direction of the pant 20. In other embodiments thebacksheet 46 may be stretchable, and more suitably elastic, in both thetransverse and the longitudinal direction.

The bodyside liner 48 is suitably compliant, soft-feeling, andnon-irritating to the wearer's skin. The bodyside liner 48 is alsosufficiently liquid permeable to permit liquid body exudates to readilypenetrate through its thickness to the absorbent structure 50. Further,the bodyside liner 48 can be less hydrophilic than the absorbentstructure 50 to present a relatively dry surface to the wearer andpermit liquid to readily penetrate through its thickness. Thehydrophilic/hydrophobic properties can be varied across the length,width and/or depth of the bodyside liner 48 and absorbent structure 50to achieve the desired rate of fluid intake and dryness.

A suitable bodyside liner 48 may be manufactured from a wide selectionof web materials, such as porous foams, reticulated foams, aperturedplastic films, woven and non-woven webs, or a combination of any suchmaterials. For example, the bodyside liner 48 may comprise a meltblownweb, a spunbonded web, or a bonded-carded-web composed of naturalfibers, synthetic fibers or combinations thereof. The bodyside liner 48may be composed of a substantially hydrophobic material, and thehydrophobic material may optionally be treated with a surfactant orotherwise processed to impart a desired level of wettability andhydrophilicity. The surfactant can be applied by any conventional means,such as spraying, printing, brush coating or the like. The surfactantcan be applied to the entire bodyside liner 48 or can be selectivelyapplied to particular sections of the bodyside liner, such as the medialsection along the longitudinal center line.

In some embodiments, a central zone 126 (FIG. 7) of the bodyside liner48 (e.g., the portion of the bodyside liner 48 that is coextensive withand/or attached to the absorbent structure 50) and/or the portions ofthe bodyside liner 48 from which the containment flaps 52 are formed(referred to as lateral outer zones 128 (FIG. 7) of the bodyside liner48) may be treated or otherwise coated to impart a desired level ofliquid permeability or impermeability in the respective zones 126, 128.In one embodiment, the lateral outer zones 128 of the body side liner 48are treated or coated such that the lateral outer zones 128 are lessliquid-permeable than the central zone 126. In such embodiments, thebacksheet 46 may extend only partially into the containment flaps 52,or, in some embodiments, not at all, as the bodyside liner 48 issufficiently liquid impermeable along the containment flaps 52 toprovide a barrier to the transverse flow of body exudates.

In one particularly suitable embodiment, the lateral outer zones 128have a hydrostatic head greater than the hydrostatic head of the centralzone 126. More specifically, the ratio of the hydrostatic head of thelateral outer zones 128 to the hydrostatic head of the central zone 126is at least about 2, and more suitably, at least about 5. In onesuitable example, the lateral outer zone has a hydrostatic head greaterthan about 40 cm, and more suitable, greater than about 100 cm.

Hydrostatic head is a measure of the liquid barrier properties of afabric. Hydrostatic head refers to the height of water (in centimeters)which the fabric will support before a predetermined amount of liquidpasses through. A fabric with a higher hydrostatic head readingindicates it has a greater barrier to liquid penetration than a fabricwith a lower hydrostatic head. Materials having a suitable hydrostatichead, as well as methods of making such materials, are described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,482,765 issued Jan. 9, 1996 to Bradley et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,492,751 issued Feb. 20, 1996 to Butt, Sr. et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.6,822,136 issued Nov. 23, 2004 to Niemeyer et al., which areincorporated herein by reference.

In yet other embodiments, the bodyside liner 48 may have a gradient ofpermeability, with greater permeability toward the central zone 126 ofthe liner 48. More particularly, the bodyside liner 48 may have greaterpermeability closer to the crotch region 26 of the absorbent trainingpant 20, and less permeability toward the free edge 74 of thecontainment flaps 52. Desired levels of liquid-permeability in thebodyside liner 48 can be rendered by zone-treating or otherwise coatingselective portions of the bodyside liner 48 with surfactants, usingdesired liquid-permeable materials, or inducing permeability throughpartial or selective dispersibility.

In other embodiments, the bodyside liner 48 may be formed fromdifferent, discrete materials to obtain a desired level of liquidpermeability or impermeability in the respective zones 126, 128. Forexample, in the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 8A and 8B, the absorbentassembly 236 includes a bodyside liner 304 comprising a liquid permeablecentral liner 306 and two liquid impermeable outer liners 308, describedin more detail below.

The bodyside liner 48 may also be stretchable, and more suitably it maybe elastomeric. Suitable elastomeric materials for construction of thebodyside liner 48 can include elastic strands, LYCRA elastics, cast orblown elastic films, nonwoven elastic webs, meltblown or spunbondelastomeric fibrous webs, as well as combinations thereof. Examples ofsuitable elastomeric materials include KRATON elastomers, HYTRELelastomers, ESTANE elastomeric polyurethanes (available from Noveon ofCleveland, Ohio), or PEBAX elastomers. The bodyside liner 48 can also bemade from extensible materials as are described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/563,417 filed on May 3, 2000 by Roessler et al.or from biaxially stretchable materials as are described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/698,512 filed on Oct. 27, 2000 by Vukos et al.,both references which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The absorbent structure 50 is disposed between the backsheet 46 and thebodyside liner 48 and has longitudinally opposite ends 130 (FIG. 4) andlaterally opposite side edges 120 that meet at respective corner regions132 of the absorbent structure 50. As used herein, the corner regions132 of the absorbent structure 50 refer generally to those regions atwhich the edge margin of the absorbent structure 50 transitions from alongitudinal end to an adjacent lateral side edge. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, the longitudinal ends 130 of the absorbentstructure 50 intersect (e.g., at a right angle) the lateral side edges120 such that the corner regions 132 of the absorbent structure 50 aregenerally a defined point. However, it is contemplated that the cornerregions 132 may be rounded, e.g., where the absorbent structure 50 iscurved to define a rounded transition from the longitudinal ends 130 toadjacent lateral side edges 120, and remain within the meaning of theterm corner region as used herein as well as within the scope of thisdisclosure. As such, the absorbent structure 50 of the illustratedembodiment has four defined corner regions 132, two of which arelaterally spaced from each other at the front waist region 22 of thepant 20 (FIG. 3) and the other two of which are laterally spaced fromeach other at the back waist region 24 of the pant.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the illustrated absorbent structure 50 isgenerally rectangular. It is contemplated, however, that the absorbentstructure 50 can have any suitable shape and size. For example, theabsorbent structure 50 can include arcuate leg cutouts (e.g., by diecutting the absorbent structure) in the crotch region 26 of the trainingpant 20.

While the illustrated absorbent structure 50 is shown and describedherein as extending from the crotch region 26 into both the front andback waist regions 22 and 24, it is contemplated that the absorbentstructure may extend from the crotch region 26 into only the front waistregion 22, or only the back waist region 24, without departing from thescope of this disclosure.

The absorbent structure 50 is suitably compressible, conformable,non-irritating to a wearer's skin, and capable of absorbing andretaining liquids and certain body wastes. For example, the absorbentstructure 50 may comprise cellulosic fibers (e.g., wood pulp fibers),other natural fibers, synthetic fibers, woven or nonwoven sheets, scrimnetting or other stabilizing structures, superabsorbent material, bindermaterials, surfactants, selected hydrophobic materials, pigments,lotions, odor control agents or the like, as well as combinationsthereof. In a particular embodiment, the absorbent structure comprises amatrix of cellulosic fluff and superabsorbent hydrogel-formingparticles. The cellulosic fluff may include a blend of wood pulp fluff.Suitable types of fluff include, for example, fluff pulp commerciallyavailable from Weyerhaeuser Company under the designation FR416 (7.5percent Moisture) and CF416 (7.5 percent Moisture). Weyerhaeuser Companyhas offices in Federal Way, Wash. U.S.A.

The materials may be formed into a web structure by employing variousconventional methods and techniques. For example, the absorbentstructure 50 may be formed by a dry-forming technique, an air formingtechnique, a wet-forming technique, a foam-forming technique, or thelike, as well as combinations thereof. Methods and apparatus forcarrying out such techniques are well known in the art. Furthermore, theabsorbent structure 50 may itself encompass multiple layers in aZ-direction (e.g., thickness) of the absorbent structure 50. Suchmultiple layers may take advantage of differences in absorbent capacity,such as by placing a lower absorbent capacity material layer closer tothe liner 48 and a higher absorbent capacity material closer to thebacksheet 46. Likewise, discrete portions of a single-layered absorbentstructure may encompass higher capacity absorbents, and other discreteportions of the structure may encompass lower capacity absorbents.

Superabsorbent material is suitably present in the absorbent structure50 in an amount of from about 0 to about 100 weight percent based ontotal weight of the absorbent structure 50. The absorbent structure 50may suitably have a density within the range of about 0.10 to about 0.60grams per cubic centimeter.

Superabsorbent materials are well known in the art and can be selectedfrom natural, synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials.The superabsorbent materials can be inorganic materials, such as silicagels, or organic compounds, such as crosslinked polymers. Typically, asuperabsorbent material is capable of absorbing at least about 10 timesits weight in liquid, and preferably is capable of absorbing more thanabout 25 times its weight in liquid. Suitable superabsorbent materialsare readily available from various suppliers. For example, Hysorb T 9700superabsorbent, which is commercially available from BASF ofLudwigshafen, Germany, or Favor SXM 5600 superabsorbent, which iscommercially available from Evonik of Essen, Germany.

The absorbent structure 50 may alternatively comprise a coform material.The term “coform material” generally refers to composite materialscomprising a mixture or stabilized matrix of thermoplastic fibers and asecond non-thermoplastic material. As an example, coform materials aremade by a process in which at least one meltblown die head is arrangednear a chute through which other materials are added to the web while itis forming. Such other materials may include, but are not limited to,fibrous organic materials such as woody or non-woody pulp such ascotton, rayon, recycled paper, pulp fluff and also superabsorbentparticles, inorganic absorbent materials, treated polymeric staplefibers and the like. Any of a variety of synthetic polymers may beutilized as the melt-spun component of the coform material. Forinstance, in certain aspects, thermoplastic polymers can be utilized.Some examples of suitable thermoplastics that can be utilized includepolyolefins, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene and thelike; polyamides; and polyesters. In one aspect, the thermoplasticpolymer is polypropylene. Some examples of such coform materials aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 to Anderson, et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,284,703 to Everhart, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,624 to Georger,et al.; which are incorporated herein by reference.

In one suitable embodiment, the absorbent structure 50 is stretchable soas not to inhibit the stretchability of other components to which theabsorbent structure may be adhered, such as the backsheet 46 andbodyside liner 48. After being formed or cut to a desired shape, theabsorbent structure 50 may be wrapped or encompassed by a suitable wrap(not shown) that aids in maintaining the integrity and shape of theabsorbent structure.

The absorbent assembly 36 is configured to contain and/or absorbexudates discharged from the wearer. For example, the containment flaps52 are configured to provide a barrier to the transverse flow of bodyexudates. A flap elastic member 72 (FIG. 3) may be operatively joinedwith each containment flap 52, as described in more detail below. Theelasticized containment flaps 52 define a partially unattached, or free,edge 74 (FIG. 3) which assumes an upright configuration in at least thecrotch region 26 of the absorbent training pant 20 to form a sealagainst the wearer's body during use. In one suitable embodiment, thecontainment flaps 52 can be located along the side edges 28 of thetraining pant 20, and can extend longitudinally along the entire lengthof the absorbent assembly 36 or may only extend partially along thelength of the absorbent assembly 36.

In the illustrated embodiment, the absorbent assembly 36 also includes asurge management layer 76 located adjacent the absorbent structure 50(e.g., between the absorbent structure 50 and the liner 48). The surgemanagement layer 76 helps to decelerate and diffuse surges or gushes ofliquid that may be rapidly introduced into the absorbent structure 50 ofthe training pant 20 by the wearer. Desirably, the surge managementlayer 76 can rapidly accept and temporarily hold the liquid prior toreleasing the liquid into the storage or retention portions of theabsorbent structure 50. Examples of suitable surge management layers aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,166 issued Jan. 23, 1996 to Bishop etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,846 issued Feb. 13, 1996 to Ellis et al.; andU.S. Pat. No. 5,820,973 issued Oct. 13, 1998 to Dodge, II et al., theentire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

With particular reference now to FIGS. 3-7B, the absorbent assembly 36will be described in greater detail. FIG. 4 is a top plan view of theabsorbent assembly 36 in an unfolded, laid flat configuration in whichthe containment flaps 52 have not been fully formed. Portions of theabsorbent assembly 36 are cut away in FIG. 4 to show underlyingfeatures. FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the absorbent assembly 36 takenalong line 6-6 of FIG. 4. The backsheet 46 and the bodyside liner 48each include an inward-facing side 102, 104 (i.e., the side that facesthe interior of the absorbent assembly 36), and an outward-facing side106, 108 (i.e., the side that faces away from the interior of theabsorbent assembly 36), respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 4-7B, the bodyside liner 48 extends around theabsorbent structure 50 and the backsheet 46 such that the inward-facingside 104 of the bodyside liner 48 overlaps the outward-facing side 106of the backsheet 46. The absorbent structure 50 and the backsheet 46 arethereby enclosed within the bodyside liner 48. In the illustratedembodiment, the backsheet 46 is partially enclosed by the bodyside liner48, although it is contemplated that the backsheet 46 may be fullyenclosed by the bodyside liner. The bodyside liner 48 is attached to thebacksheet 46 using suitable means such as adhesives, ultrasonic bonds,pressure bonds, thermal bonds or other conventional techniques. Thebodyside liner 48 can be attached to the backsheet 46 along theinward-facing side 102 and/or the outward-facing side 106 of thebacksheet 46. In one suitable embodiment, the bodyside liner 48 isattached to the backsheet 46 along the portion of the bodyside liner 48that overlaps the outward-facing side 106 of the backsheet 46.

The absorbent structure 50 is disposed between the bodyside liner 48 andthe backsheet 46 along a central region 110 of the absorbent assembly36. In one suitable embodiment, the absorbent structure 50 is attachedthe bodyside liner 48 and/or the backsheet 46 using suitable means suchas adhesives, ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds, thermal bonds or otherconventional techniques. In the illustrated embodiment, the absorbentstructure 50 is attached to both the bodyside liner 48 and the backsheet46. It is understood, however, that the absorbent structure 50 does notneed to be bonded to either the bodyside liner 48 or the backsheet 46.

The absorbent assembly 36 illustrated in FIG. 4 also includes lateralouter regions 112 extending laterally outward from the central region110 from which the containment flaps 52 are formed. Flap elastic members72 are positioned within each lateral outer region 112 such that theflap elastic members 72 are positioned within the containment flaps 52once formed. The containment flaps 52 are formed by folding the lateralouter portions 112 laterally inwards as indicated by the arrows in FIG.6 about longitudinal fold lines 114, which is illustrated in FIG. 4,into face-to-face contact with the outward-facing side 108 of thebodyside liner 48 along the central region 110 of the absorbent assembly36.

The lateral outer regions 112 are suitably attached to the bodysideliner 48 by an adhesive seam 116 extending longitudinally along theabsorbent assembly 36, thereby forming a fixed edge 118 (FIGS. 3, 7A,and 7B) of each containment flap 52. Suitable adhesives can be appliedcontinuously or intermittently to the bodyside liner 48 as beads, aspray, parallel swirls, or the like. The adhesive seams 116 can extendany suitable length along the crotch region 26 of the pant 20. Further,it is contemplated that the adhesive seams 116 may extend into the frontwaist region 22 and/or the back waist region 24, and may even extend tothe ends 54 and/or 56 of the absorbent assembly 36. In the illustratedembodiment, the adhesive seams 116 are aligned with laterally opposingside edges 120 of the absorbent structure 50.

A portion of the lateral outer regions 112 are left unattached to thebodyside liner 48, at least along a portion of the crotch region 26, toform the free edge 74 of the containment flaps 52. The free edge 74 ofthe containment flaps 52 is disposed opposite the fixed edge 118, and isconfigured to assume an upright configuration in at least the crotchregion 26 of the absorbent training pant 20. More specifically, the flapelastic members 72 are positioned proximate the free edge 74 such thatwhen a tensile force is applied to the flap elastic members 72, the freeedges 74 of the containment flaps 52 assume an upright configuration toform a seal against the wearer's body during use.

The flap elastic members 72 may be formed from the same elasticmaterials as the waist elastic members 78, 80 and/or the leg elasticmembers, including sheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber,synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomeric polymers. The elasticmaterials can be stretched and adhered to a substrate, adhered to agathered substrate, or adhered to a substrate and then elasticized orshrunk, for example with the application of heat, such that elasticretractive forces are imparted to the substrate.

The flap elastic members 72 can extend any suitable length along thecontainment flaps 52. In the illustrated embodiment, the flap elasticmembers 72 extend less than the full length of the containment flaps 52.In one suitable embodiment, the flap elastic members 72 extend along thecontainment flaps 52 only within the crotch region 26 of the trainingpant 20. In another suitable embodiment, the flap elastic members 72 aregenerally coextensive with the absorbent structure 50. That is, in oneembodiment, the flap elastic members 72 within the containment flaps 52extend the length of the absorbent structure 50. It is understood,however, that the flap elastic members 72 can extend any suitable lengthalong the containment flaps 52 including, for example, the full lengthof the containment flaps 52. In one suitable embodiment, for example,the flap elastic members 72 can extend into the flap attachment zones122, described below with reference to FIG. 3.

The flap elastic members 72 can include active portions (i.e., portionsof the flap elastic member 72 that are elastic) and inactive portions(i.e., portions of the flap elastic member 72 that are non-elastic).Portions of the flap elastic members 72 can be rendered inactive (i.e.,non-elastic) by, for example, chopping or otherwise “deadening” the flapelastic members 72 along a desired inactive portion. The flap elasticmembers 72 can include any suitable number of active and inactiveportions having any suitable dimension and configuration. In onesuitable embodiment, for example, longitudinally opposing ends of theflap elastic members 72 can extend into the flap attachment zones 122(FIG. 3), and can be rendered inactive within the flap attachment zones122.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the containment flaps 52 are fullyformed, the backsheet 46 is enclosed by the bodyside liner 48 within thecontainment flaps 52. More specifically, the containment flaps 52comprise a portion of the backsheet 46 interposed between two layers ofthe bodyside liner 48. The backsheet 46 extends into the containmentflaps 52 from the fixed edge 118 of a respective containment flap 52towards the free edge 74 of the containment flaps. In the illustratedembodiment, the backsheet 46 suitably extends at least partially intothe containment flaps 52 to provide a liquid impermeable layer withinthe containment flap 52. In the illustrated embodiment, the backsheet 46extends only partially into the containment flap 52, although it iscontemplated that the backsheet 46 may extend the entire length of thecontainment flap 52 to the free edge 74, or the backsheet 46 may notextend into the containment flap 52 at all.

The backsheet 46 can be suitably attached to the bodyside liner 48and/or the absorbent structure 50 along the inward-facing side 102and/or the outward-facing side 106 of the backsheet 46 by an adhesive,ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds, thermal bonds, or the like. Suitableadhesives can be applied continuously or intermittently as beads, aspray, parallel swirls, or the like. In one suitable embodiment, thebacksheet 46 is attached to the bodyside liner 48 within the containmentflaps 52. More specifically, the outward-facing side 106 of thebacksheet 46 is attached to the inward-facing side 104 of the bodysideliner 48 within the containment flaps 52. Alternatively, theinward-facing side 102 of the backsheet 46 is attached to theoutward-facing side 108 of the bodyside liner 48 within the containmentflaps 52.

In the illustrated embodiment, the backsheet 46 extends from within onecontainment flap 52, around the absorbent structure 50, and into theother containment flap 52, thereby forming a continuousliquid-impermeable barrier around the absorbent assembly 36. In someembodiments, it is contemplated that the backsheet 46 does not extendaround the absorbent structure 50, and instead comprises segmented ordiscrete sheets of liquid impermeable material attached to the bodysideliner 48 within and/or proximate the containment flaps 52 such that thebacksheet 46 forms a liquid impermeable barrier within the containmentflaps 52. In such embodiments, the chassis 34 may suitably be formed ofa liquid impermeable material to provide a liquid impermeable barrierbetween the absorbent structure 50 and the garment facing side of thepant 20.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 7A, and 7B, the fixed edges 118 of the containmentflaps 52 are separated by a lateral distance 136. In the illustratedembodiment, the containment flaps 52 and the fixed edges 118 of thecontainment flaps 52 are substantially parallel to one another. As aresult, the lateral distance 136 between the fixed edges 118 issubstantially the same along the length of the containment flaps 52. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the fixed edges 118 of the containment flaps52 are offset from the side edges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36. Insome embodiments, the fixed edges 118 of the containment flaps 52 may beformed proximate the side edges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36 suchthat the containment flaps 52 are disposed on and/or aligned with theside edges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36. In such embodiments, thedifference between the lateral distance 136 and the overall width of theabsorbent assembly 36 is substantially equal to the width of thecontainment flaps 52.

In addition to the adhesive seam 116, the containment flaps 52 may beattached to the bodyside liner 48 along end portions of the containmentflaps 52. In the illustrated embodiment, the containment flaps 52 areattached to the bodyside liner 48 within the front waist region 22 andthe back waist region 24 to define flap attachment zones 122 (FIGS. 3and 5). For example, the flap attachment zones 122 may be formed withinthe front waist region 22 and/or the back waist region 24 to enable thewaist edges 30, 32 to form a better seal around the wearer's waist. Theflap attachment zones 122 suitably extend to the ends 54, 56 of theabsorbent assembly 36, and may extend through the front waist region 22and/or the back waist region 24 and into the crotch region 26 of theabsorbent training pant 20. In another embodiment, the flap attachmentzones 122 may extend from the ends 54, 56 of the absorbent assembly 36and only partially through the front waist region 22 and/or the backwaist region 24.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate another suitable embodiment of an absorbentassembly 236 suitable for use with the training pant 20 of FIGS. 1-3.The absorbent assembly 236 is substantially similar to the absorbentassembly 36 described above. More specifically, the absorbent assembly236 is attached to a chassis (not shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B) and extendslongitudinally from the front waist region 22 through the crotch region26 to the back waist region 24 of the training pant 20. As with theabsorbent assembly 36, it is contemplated that the absorbent assembly236 may extend from the crotch region 26 into only the front waistregion 22, or only the back waist region 24, without departing from thescope of this disclosure. Further, the absorbent assembly 236 may extendany suitable length along the crotch region 26 and/or into the frontwaist region 22 and/or the back waist region 24.

The illustrated absorbent assembly 236 is generally rectangular in shapehaving a front end, a back end and longitudinally extending side edges.While the absorbent assembly 236 is illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B ashaving a rectangular shape, it is contemplated that the absorbentassembly 236 may have other suitable shapes without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

In one suitable embodiment, the absorbent assembly 236 comprises aliquid impermeable backsheet 302 and a bodyside liner 304 attached tothe backsheet 302 in a superposed relation by suitable means such asadhesives, ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds, thermal bonds or otherconventional techniques. An absorbent structure (or absorbent core) 50is disposed between the backsheet 302 and the bodyside liner 304.

A pair of containment flaps 52 is integrally formed from the absorbentassembly 236 in the same manner as described above with reference toFIGS. 5-7B. More specifically, lateral outer regions of the absorbentassembly 236 are suitably attached to the bodyside liner 304 by anadhesive seam 116 extending longitudinally along the absorbent assembly236, thereby forming a fixed edge 118 of each containment flap 52.

As with the absorbent assembly 36, a portion of containment flaps 52 areleft unattached to the bodyside liner 304, at least along a portion ofthe crotch region 26, to form free edges 74 of the containment flaps 52.The free edge 74 of the containment flaps 52 is disposed opposite thefixed edge 118, and is configured to assume an upright configuration inat least the crotch region 26 of the absorbent training pant 20. Morespecifically, flap elastic members 72 are positioned proximate the freeedge 74 such that when a tensile force is applied to the flap elasticmembers 72, the free edges 74 of the containment flaps 52 assume anupright configuration to form a seal against the wearer's body duringuse.

The backsheet 302 may comprise the same materials and have the sameconfiguration as the backsheet 46 described above with reference toFIGS. 3-7B. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, thebacksheet 302 may suitably comprise a liquid permeable material, or maysuitably be omitted from the absorbent assembly 236 altogether as aresult of the configuration of the bodyside liner 304.

The absorbent structure 50 may comprise the same materials and have thesame configuration as the absorbent structure 50 described above withreference to FIGS. 3-7B.

Similar to the absorbent assembly 36, the absorbent assembly 236includes a surge management layer 76 located adjacent the absorbentstructure 50 (e.g., between the absorbent structure 50 and the bodysideliner 304) to help decelerate and diffuse surges or gushes of liquidthat may be rapidly introduced into the absorbent structure 50 of thetraining pant 20 by the wearer.

The absorbent assembly 236 differs from the absorbent assembly 36 inthat the bodyside liner 304 of the absorbent assembly 236 comprises aliquid permeable central liner 306 and two liquid impermeable outerliners 308 attached to laterally opposing sides of the central liner306. In the embodiment of FIGS. 8A and 8B, the containment flaps 52 aresuitably formed from the liquid impermeable outer liners 308. The liquidpermeable central liner 306 and the liquid impermeable outer liners 308are suitably compliant, soft-feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer'sskin. The central liner 306 is sufficiently liquid permeable to permitliquid body exudates to readily penetrate through its thickness to theabsorbent structure 50.

The liquid impermeable outer liners 308 suitably comprise a materialwhich is substantially liquid impermeable, yet is suitably compliant,soft-feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. One particularlysuitable material for the outer liners 308 includes aspun-bonded/meltblown/spun-bonded (S/M/S) laminate. Other suitablematerials for the outer liners 308, and methods of making suchmaterials, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,751 issued Feb. 20, 1996to Butt, Sr. et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

Because the containment flaps 52 of the absorbent assembly 236 areformed from the liquid impermeable outer liners 308, the backsheet 302does not need to extend into the containment flaps 52 to the same extentas embodiments in which the containment flaps 52 are formed from aliquid permeable bodyside liner. It is further contemplated that thebacksheet 302 may be omitted from the absorbent assembly 236 altogether.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an absorbent article,also in the form of a training pant 420, having discrete front and backside panels 502, 504 formed separately from and secured to the absorbentassembly 36. The side panels 502, 504 are permanently bonded to theabsorbent assembly 36 in the respective front and back waist regions 22and 24 of the pant 420. More particularly, the front side panels 502 canbe permanently bonded to and extend transversely outward beyond the sideedges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36 at the front waist region 22, andthe back side panels 504 can be permanently bonded to and extendtransversely outward beyond the side edges 58 of the absorbent assembly36 at the back waist region 24. The side panels 502 and 504 may bebonded to the absorbent assembly 36 using attachment means known tothose skilled in the art such as adhesive, thermal, pressure, orultrasonic bonding.

The front and back side panels 502, 504, upon wearing of the pants 420,thus comprise the portions of the training pant 420 which are positionedon the hips of the wearer. The front and back side panels 502, 504 canbe permanently bonded together to form the three-dimensionalconfiguration of the pant 420, or be releasably connected with oneanother such as by the fastening components 90, 92 of the illustratedaspects.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the side panels 502, 504 comprise anelastic material capable of stretching at least in a direction generallyparallel to the lateral axis 62 of the training pant 420. Suitableelastic materials, as well as methods of incorporating elastic sideportions into training pant, are described in the following U.S. Pat.No. 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,224,405 issued Jul. 6, 1993 to Pohjola; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,116 issuedApr. 14, 1992 to Pohjola; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,272 issued Sep. 10,1991 to Vogt et al.; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.In particular aspects, the elastic material may include astretch-thermal laminate (STL), a neck-bonded laminate (NBL), areversibly necked laminate, or a stretch-bonded laminate (SBL) material.Methods of making such materials are well known to those skilled in theart and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,220 issued May 5, 1987 toWisneski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,992 issued Jul. 13, 1993 to Morman;European Patent Application No. EP 0 217 032 published on Apr. 8, 1987in the name of Taylor et al.; and PCT application WO 01/88245 in thename of Welch et al.; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Alternatively, the side panel material may include other woven ornon-woven materials, such as those described herein as being suitablefor construction of the chassis 34 and/or the bodyside liner 48,mechanically pre-strained composites, or stretchable but inelasticmaterials.

As a result of the containment flaps 52 being integrally formed with theabsorbent assembly 36, no additional material is needed along the crotchregion 26 of the training pant 20 to attach the containment flaps 52. Asa result, the lateral width of the crotch region 26 of the absorbenttraining pant 20 may be smaller as compared to known training pant,thereby providing a more appealing look and feel. Further, because thecontainment flaps 52 are integrally formed from the absorbent assembly36, a continuous liquid impermeable barrier is formed from the bodysideliner 48 and/or the polymer backsheet 46 that extends from the centralregion of the absorbent assembly out and around the lateral outer sidesof the containment flaps 52. As a result, the barrier performance of thecontainment flaps 52 along the adhesive seams 116 is improved over knownabsorbent articles, which are generally susceptible to fluid leaks alongthe attachment seams of containment flaps.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, yet another suitable embodiment of anabsorbent article is shown in the form of a training pant, indicatedgenerally at 620. The training pant 620 illustrated therein issubstantially similar to training pant 20 illustrated and described withreference to FIGS. 1-7B, except the training pant 620 of FIGS. 10-12includes an elasticized waistband system, indicated generally at 621,configured to fully encircle the waist of the wearer during use.

More specifically, the training pant 620 has a front waist region 622, aback waist region 624, and a crotch region 626 disposed longitudinallybetween and interconnecting the front and back waist regions. Thetraining pant 620 also has a pair of laterally opposite side edges 628and a pair of longitudinally opposite waist edges, respectivelydesignated as a front waist edge 630 and a back waist edge 632. Thetraining pant 620 also includes a body-facing side 623 (FIG. 12) and agarment-facing side 625 (FIG. 11). Arrows 660 and 662 in FIGS. 11-12depict the orientation of a longitudinal axis and a transverse orlateral axis, respectively, of the training pant 620.

Similar to the training pant 20 of FIGS. 1-7B, the training pant 620 ofFIGS. 10-12 includes a chassis 634 and an absorbent assembly 636attached to the chassis 634. The chassis 634 includes a longitudinallyextending central portion 638, a pair of laterally opposite front sideportions 640 extending outward from the central portion 638 at the frontwaist region 622, and a pair of laterally opposite back side portions642 extending outward from the central portion at the back waist region624. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10-12, the chassis 634defines the front waist region 622, the back waist region 624, and thecrotch region 626 of the training pant 620.

As described above, the front side portions 640, the back side portions642, and the central portion 638 are formed from the same sheet ofmaterial, although it is contemplated that one or more of the front sideportions 640, the back side portions 642, and/or the central portion 638may be formed from two or more separate elements.

The chassis 634 may comprise the same materials and have the sameconfiguration as the chassis 34 described above with reference to FIGS.1-7B. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10-12, the chassis 634 (orportions thereof) is suitably elastically extensible. In one suitableembodiment, the chassis 634 is elastically extensible in a lateraldirection (i.e., a direction generally parallel to the lateral axis 662of the training pant 620). In another suitable embodiment, the chassisis elastically extensible in both a lateral direction and a longitudinaldirection.

The absorbent assembly 636 illustrated in FIGS. 11-12 may comprise thesame materials and have the same configuration as the absorbentassemblies 36, 236 illustrated and described above with reference toFIGS. 1-8B. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the absorbentassembly 636 comprises a liquid impermeable backsheet 646, a bodysideliner 648 attached to the backsheet 646, and an absorbent structure (orabsorbent core) 650 disposed between the backsheet 646 and the bodysideliner 648. Similar to the absorbent assembly 36, the absorbent assembly636 is generally rectangular in shape having a front end 654, a back end656, and longitudinally extending side edges 658. In the illustratedembodiment, the front and back ends 654, 656 of the absorbent assembly636 extend to the front and back waist edges 630, 632 of the trainingpant 620, respectively, and define respective portions of the front andback waist edges 630, 632. It is contemplated, however, that the frontend 654 and/or the back end 656 of the absorbent assembly 636 can bespaced inward from the front and back waist edges 630, 632 of thetraining pant 620.

A pair of containment flaps 652 is integrally formed from the absorbentassembly 636, as described in more detail above with reference to FIGS.4-7B, for inhibiting the lateral flow of body exudates.

The absorbent assembly 636 of the illustrated embodiment is attached tothe chassis 634 along at least the crotch region 626 of the absorbenttraining pant 620. The absorbent assembly 636 may be attached to thechassis 634 in substantially the same manner as described above withreference to FIGS. 1-7B.

As with the training pant 20, the training pant 620 has a pair ofrefastening seams 670 disposed on the side of the pant 620 (one seambeing illustrated in FIG. 10). It is understood, however, that the seamscan be located at any suitable location on the pant and that the seamscan be permanently attached (e.g., by adhesive, thermal bonding,pressure bonding, thermal bonding). For example, the training pant 1120illustrated in FIG. 17 includes bonded side seams 1170 such as, forexample, an overlapping bonded side seam or an abutting side seam.Moreover, while the illustrated refastening seams 670 are defined by aloop fastening components 690 (broadly, a “first fastening component”)selectively engagement with hook fastening components 692 (broadly, a“second fastening component”), it is contemplated that any suitablerefastenable fasteners can be used such as other types of mechanicalfasteners, adhesive fasteners, cohesive fasteners. In one suitableembodiment, for example, the seams are formed by frangible bonds.

With the training pant 620 in a fastened condition, partiallyillustrated in FIG. 10, the front and back waist regions 622, 624 areattached to each other by the first and second fastening components 690,692 to define a wear configuration of the pant, having a waist opening666 and a pair of leg openings 668. The waist edges 630, 632 of theabsorbent training pant 620 are configured to encircle the waist of thewearer and together define the waist opening 666 (FIG. 10). Portions ofthe side edges 628 in the crotch region 626 generally define the legopenings 668.

The absorbent training pant 620, and more specifically the chassis 634,includes an elasticized waistband system 621, described in greaterdetail below, and leg elastic members (not shown). The leg elasticmembers can be attached to the inner surface of the chassis 634 and/orthe outer surface of the chassis 634 along the opposite side edges 628and positioned in the crotch region 626 of the absorbent training pant620. The leg elastic members can be longitudinally aligned along sideedges 658 of the absorbent assembly 636, or the leg elastic members canbe aligned with the opposite side edges 628 of the absorbent article.

Referring to FIGS. 10-12, the elasticized waistband system 621 of theillustrated embodiment includes a bodyside front waist elastic member694, a bodyside rear waist elastic member 696, a garment-side frontwaist elastic member 698, and a garment-side rear waist elastic member700. The waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 can be formed of anysuitable elastic material. Exemplary suitable elastic materials includesheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, orthermoplastic elastomeric polymers. The elastic materials can bestretched and adhered to a substrate, adhered to a gathered substrate,or adhered to a substrate and then elasticized or shrunk, for examplewith the application of heat, such that elastic retractive forces areimparted to the substrate.

In one suitable embodiment, for example, the waist elastic members 694,696, 698, 700 comprise a plurality of dry-spun coalesced multifilamentspandex elastomeric threads sold under the trade name LYCRA® andavailable from E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.,U.S.A. In another suitable embodiment, the waist elastic members 694,696, 698, 700 comprise a vertical filament laminate (VFL) material. AVFL is a composite material having at least one gatherable layer such asa non-woven material and at least one elastic layer. One type ofvertical filament laminate is disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. No.6,916,750 to Thomas et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.In another suitable embodiment, the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698,700 comprise an elastic nonwoven composite having an apertured elasticfilm laminated to one or more nonwoven web materials, examples of whichare described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,803,244 issued Sep. 28, 2010 toSiqueira et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,361,913 issued Jan. 29, 2013 toSiqueira et al., both of which are incorporated herein by reference.Other suitable elastic materials include single- and dual-faced spandexlaminates, stretch-bonded laminates (SBL), and continuous filamentstretch-bonded laminates (CFSBL), examples of which are described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,385,775 issued Jan. 31, 1995 to Wright; U.S. Pat. No.6,057,024 issued May 2, 2000 to Mleziva et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.6,969,441 issued Nov. 29, 2005 to Welch et al., all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

In one suitable embodiment, the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700are attached to the training pant 620 in a cross-machine directionusing, for example, the process schematically illustrated in FIG. 15. Asa result, the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 are formedseparately from one another. In other words, each waist elastic member694, 696, 698, 700 is a discrete piece of elastic material separate fromthe other waist elastic members.

Although the elasticized waistband system 621 is illustrated anddescribed as including bodyside front and rear waist elastic members694, 696 and garment-side front and rear waist elastic members 698, 700,it is understood that in alternative embodiments the elasticizedwaistband system 621 may include any combination of the bodyside frontwaist elastic member 694, the bodyside rear waist elastic member 696,the garment-side front waist elastic member 698, and/or the garment-siderear waist elastic member 700.

In the illustrated embodiment, each elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 isgenerally rectangular in shape having a top edge 702, a bottom edge 704,and two side edges 706. Each elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 also hasa length 708 (FIG. 12) extending between the side edges 706 and a width710 (FIG. 12) extending between the top edge 702 and the bottom edge704. Although the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 areillustrated and described as being generally rectangular, it isunderstood that the waist elastic members may have any suitable shape.In one embodiment, for example, the garment-side waist elastic members698, 700 include undulated and/or scalloped edges.

As seen in FIGS. 11-12, the top edges 702 of the front waist elasticmembers 694, 698 of the illustrated embodiment are generally alignedwith the front waist edge 630 of the training pant 620, and the topedges 702 of the rear waist elastic members 696, 700 of the illustratedembodiment are generally aligned with the back waist edge 632 of thetraining pant 620. It is understood, however, that the top edges 702 ofone or more of the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 can bespaced from the front waist edge 630 and/or the back waist edge 632.That is, the top edges 702 of the front waist elastic members 694, 698can be spaced either above or below the front waist edge 630 of thetraining pant 620, and/or the rear waist elastic members 696, 700 can bespaced either above or below the back waist edge 632 of the trainingpant 620. In one suitable embodiment, for example, the bodyside frontwaist elastic member 694 and the garment-side front waist elastic member698 extend beyond the front waist edge 630, and the bodyside front waistelastic member 694 and the garment-side front waist elastic member 698are bonded to one another such that the chassis 634 is not visible alongthe front waist edge 630. Additionally or alternatively, the body-siderear waist elastic member 696 and the garment-side rear waist elasticmember 700 extend beyond the back waist edge 632, and the body-side rearwaist elastic member 696 and the garment-side rear waist elastic member700 are bonded to one another such that the chassis 634 is not visiblealong the back waist edge 632.

In the illustrated embodiment, the top edges 702 of the bodyside waistelastic members 694, 696 are substantially aligned with the top edges702 of a corresponding garment-side waist elastic member 698, 700.Further, the side edges 706 of the bodyside waist elastic members 694,696 are substantially aligned with the side edges 706 of a correspondinggarment-side waist elastic member 698, 700. As a result, thecorresponding bodyside and garment side waist elastic members 694, 696,698, 700 have a unitary appearance similar to that of waistbandsemployed in reusable underwear. Further, because the bodyside waistelastic members 694, 696 are at least partially aligned with thegarment-side waist elastic members 698, 700, the elasticized waistbandsystem 621 has an increased thickness where the bodyside waist elasticmembers 694, 696 are aligned with the garment-side waist elastic members698, 700. Such an increased thickness facilitates gripping and donningthe training pant 620, particularly for infants or toddlers whose motorskills are not fully developed. In one suitable embodiment, for example,the thickness of the training pant 620 along the elasticized waistbandsystem is between about 1.0 millimeters and about 6.0 millimeters and,more suitably, between about 2.0 millimeters and about 5.0 millimeters.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11-12, each of the side edges 706 of the frontand rear waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 are generally alignedwith the side edges 628 of training pant 620. Each of the front and rearwaist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 extend from one side edge 628of the training pant 620 to the other, laterally opposing side edge 628of the training pant 628. The waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700of the illustrated embodiment are configured to fully encircle the waistopening 666 (FIG. 10) and the wearer when training pant 620 is donned inthe wearing configuration. It is understood, however, that the sideedges 706 of one or more of the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700can be disposed either outward or inward of the side edges 628 of thetraining pant. In one suitable embodiment, for example, the side edges706 of the bodyside rear waist elastic member 696 can terminate adjacentto or in abutting relationship with the first fastening components 690,located on the body-facing side 623 of the back waist region 624, andthe garment-side front waist elastic member 698 can terminate adjacentto or in abutting relationship with the second fastening components 692,located on the garment-facing side 626 of the front waist region 622. Inanother suitable embodiment, one of the bodyside waist elastic members694, 696 and one of the garment-side waist elastic members 698, 700,collectively fully encircle the waist opening 666 (FIG. 10) and thewearer when training pant 620 is donned in the wearing configuration.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, each waist elastic member 694, 696,698, 700 has substantially the same length 708 and width 710. It isunderstood, however, that the length 708 and/or width 710 of one or moreof the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 may be different fromthe length 708 and/or the width 710 of the other waist elastic members694, 696, 698, 700. In one suitable embodiment, for example, each of thegarment-side waist elastic members 698, 700 has a width 710 greater thana width 710 of the bodyside waist elastic members 694, 696.

Each waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 is suitably elastic tofacilitate donning the training pant 620, and to facilitate theformation of a seal along the waist edges 630, 632 of the training pant620. The waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 may have asubstantially uniform modulus of elasticity along the length 708 of therespective waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 or, as describedbelow, the modulus of elasticity of one or more waist elastic members694, 696, 698, 700 may vary along the length 708 of the waist elasticmember 694, 696, 698, 700 resulting in a modulus of elasticity profile.As used herein, the term modulus of elasticity refers to a constant thatnumerically measures or represents the amount of elasticity a materialpossesses. A high modulus of elasticity, for example, is indicative of amaterial having a low amount of elasticity. In one suitable embodiment,each waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 has the same modulus ofelasticity profile as the other waist elastic members 694, 696, 698,700. It is understood, however, that one or more waist elastic members694, 696, 698, 700 may have a modulus of elasticity profile differentthan the other waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700. For example, inone suitable embodiment, the garment-side waist elastic members 698, 700are less elastic (i.e., have a higher modulus of elasticity) than thebodyside waist elastic members 694, 696 such that the waist elasticmembers 694, 696, 698, 700 curl inward toward the wearer when placedunder tension, thereby providing a body conforming shape.

In the illustrated embodiment, each waist elastic member 694, 696, 698,700 comprises five regions 712, 714, 716 of varying elasticity (FIG.11). More specifically, each waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700includes a central region 712, two side-seam regions 714 extendinglaterally inward from the side edges 706 of the waist elastic members694, 696, 698, 700, and two lateral outer regions 716 extending betweenthe central region 712 and the adjoining side-seam region 714. Desiredmoduli of elasticity may be imparted to each region 712, 714, 716 usingany suitable method including, for example, selectively cutting or“deadening” the elastic material (e.g., elastic sheets, strands orribbons) within the waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700, orconstructing the waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 from discretepieces of elastic material having desired moduli of elasticity. In onesuitable embodiment, the lateral outer regions 716 are more elastic(i.e., have a smaller modulus of elasticity) than the central region712, and the side-seam regions 714 are less elastic (i.e., have agreater modulus of elasticity) than the central region 712. In onesuitable embodiment, the side-seam regions 714 of waist elastic members694, 696, 698, 700 are non-elastic or “deadened”.

Although the illustrated waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 areillustrated and described as having five regions 712, 714, 716 ofelasticity, it is understood that the waist elastic members may havemore or fewer than five regions of elasticity. In one suitableembodiment, for example, one or more waist elastic members 694, 696,698, 700 comprise three regions of varying elasticity including acentral region 712 and two lateral outer regions 716 extending from thecentral region 712 to a respective side edge 706 of the waist elasticmember 694, 696, 698, 700. It is also contemplated that the waistelastic members can have a single, uniform elasticity along its length.

As noted above, the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 can beformed of any suitable elastic material including, for example, sheets,strands or ribbons of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or thermoplasticelastomeric polymers. In one suitable embodiment, each waist elasticmember 694, 696, 698, 700 is formed from the same material or materialsas the other waist elastic members such that each waist elastic memberhas substantially the same properties (e.g., elasticity profile,coefficient of friction, softness, etc.) as the other waist elasticmembers. It is understood, however, that one or more waist elasticmembers 694, 696, 698, 700 may be formed of different materials toimpart desired physical or visual properties to the waist elasticmember. In one suitable embodiment, for example, the bodyside waistelastic members 694, 696 have a coefficient of friction greater than acoefficient of friction of the garment-side waist elastic members 698,700 to facilitate maintaining the position of the training pant 620 onthe wearer, and reduce friction between the training pant 620 andgarment(s) worn over the training pant 620.

In one suitable embodiment, the presence or noticeability of one or morewaist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 can be enhanced by providingsuitable visual and/or tactile cues (e.g., graphics, color, texturing)on the waist elastic member(s) 694, 696, 698, 700 and/or othercomponents of the training pant 620 (e.g., the chassis 634 and/or theabsorbent assembly 636). The visual and/or tactile cues increase thenoticeability that the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700cooperate during use to fully encircle the waist of the wearer. In theillustrated embodiment, for example, each waist elastic member 694, 696,698, 700 is a different color (e.g., dark blue) than the chassis 634(e.g., white). Also in the illustrated embodiment, the waist elasticmembers 694, 696, 698, 700 are applied to the chassis 634 and/or theabsorbent assembly 636 under tension, as described below, such thatgathers are formed along the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700when the applied tension is released from the waist elastic members. Inanother suitable embodiment, the visual cue comprises a scalloped and/orundulated waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700.

The bodyside waist elastic members 694, 696 are attached to thebody-facing side 623 of the training pant 620 (FIG. 12), and thegarment-side waist elastic members 698, 700 are attached to thegarment-facing side 626 of the training pant 620 (FIG. 11). In theillustrated embodiment, for example, the waist elastic members 694, 696,698, 700 are point bonded to the chassis 634.

In embodiments in which the absorbent assembly 636 is interposed betweenthe chassis 634 and the bodyside waist elastic members 694, 696, such asthe embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10-12, the bodyside waist elasticmembers 694, 696 may also be point bonded to the absorbent assembly 636,such as to the bodyside liner 648 of the absorbent assembly 636.Alternatively, the bodyside waist elastic members 694, 696 may only bebonded to the training pant 620 along the chassis 634. In one suitableembodiment, for example, the bodyside waist elastic members 694, 696 arebonded to a body-facing side of the chassis 634, and are interposedbetween the absorbent assembly 636 and the chassis 634. In anothersuitable embodiment, the front and back ends 654, 656 of the absorbentassembly 636 are spaced inward from the bottom edges 704 of the bodysidewaist elastic members 694, 696, and the bodyside waist elastic members694, 696 are bonded to the body-facing side of the chassis 634.

While the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 may be bonded to thetraining pant 620 along any suitable portion of the waist elastic member694, 696, 698, 700, in one suitable configuration, the waist elasticmembers 694, 696, 698, 700 are bonded with an intermittent bond patternhaving a bond area of less than about 25% of the surface area of thewaist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700, more suitably less than about10% and, even more suitably, less than about 5% of the surface area ofthe waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700. In one suitable embodiment,for example, the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 are bondedwith an intermittent bond pattern having a bond area of about 2% of thesurface area of the waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700. It isunderstood, however, that the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700can be bonded along any suitable portion of the waist elastic member694, 696, 698, 700.

In alternative embodiments, the elastic waist members 694, 696, 698, 700can be attached to the chassis 634 and/or the absorbent assembly 636using an elastic construction adhesive. Suitable elastic constructionadhesives include, for example, low tack adhesives having a relativelyshort open time to inhibit or prevent the adhesive from bonding tounwanted garments or objects.

In some embodiments, such as the illustrated embodiment, the bottom edge704 of one or both bodyside waist elastic members 694, 696 may be leftunattached from the chassis 634 and/or the absorbent assembly 636 suchthat containment pockets 718 (FIG. 12) are formed along the bottom edge704 of the bodyside waist elastic member 694, 696 to enhance thecontainment and absorption of body exudates within the absorbentassembly 636.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate another embodiment of an absorbent article inthe form of a training pant, indicated generally at 820. The trainingpant 820 has discrete front and back side panels 502, 504 formedseparately from and secured to the absorbent assembly 36. The trainingpant 820 is substantially similar to the training pant 420 illustratedand described with reference to FIG. 9, except training pant 820includes the elasticized waistband system 621 illustrated and describedwith reference to FIGS. 10-12.

Similar to the training pant 420 illustrated in FIG. 9, the side panels502, 504 of training pant 820 are permanently bonded to the absorbentassembly 36 in the respective front and back waist regions 22 and 24 ofthe pant 820. More particularly, the front side panels 502 can bepermanently bonded to and extend transversely outward beyond the sideedges 58 of the absorbent assembly 36 at the front waist region 22, andthe back side panels 504 can be permanently bonded to and extendtransversely outward beyond the side edges 58 of the absorbent assembly36 at the back waist region 24. The side panels 502 and 504 may bebonded to the absorbent assembly 36 using attachment means known tothose skilled in the art such as adhesive, thermal, pressure, orultrasonic bonding.

The front and back side panels 502, 504, upon wearing of the pant 820,thus comprise the portions of the training pant 820 which are positionedon the hips of the wearer. The front and back side panels 502, 504 canbe permanently bonded together to form the three-dimensionalconfiguration of the pant 820, or be releasably connected with oneanother such as by the fastening system 64 of the illustrated aspects.

The side panels 502, 504 may comprise the same materials and have thesame configuration as the side panels 502, 504 described above withreference to FIG. 9. In the embodiment of FIGS. 13-14, the side panels502, 504 comprise an elastic material capable of stretching at least ina direction generally parallel to the lateral axis 62 of the trainingpant 820.

The waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 of the elasticizedwaistband system 621 may have any of the configurations described abovewith reference to FIGS. 10-12.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 13-14, the front waist elasticmembers 694, 698 are attached to absorbent assembly 36 and the frontside panels 502, and the rear waist elastic members 696, 700 areattached to the absorbent assembly 36 and the back side panels 504. Thewaist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 may be attached using the samemethods described above with reference to FIG. 9 (e.g., point bonding,elastic construction adhesive).

With reference to FIG. 13, in one suitable embodiment, the centralregion 712 of the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 generallycorresponds to the portion of the waist elastic member 694, 696, 698,700 attached to the absorbent assembly 36. The lateral outer regions 716and side-seam regions 714 generally correspond to portions of the waistelastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 attached to a respective side panel502, 504.

The elasticity of the central regions 712, the side-seam regions 714,and the lateral outer regions 716 may be based upon the elasticity orextensibility (or non-extensibility) of the underlying portion of thetraining pant 820 to which the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700are attached. In one suitable embodiment, for example, the backsheet 46and bodyside liner 48 are formed from non-extensible materials, and thefront and back side panels 502, 504 are formed from elasticallyextensible materials. In such an embodiment, the central region 712 ofthe waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 may suitably be lesselastic (i.e., have a higher modulus of elasticity) than the lateralouter regions 716 such that the elastically extensible regions of thewaist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 generally correspond to theelastically extensible portions of the training pant 820.

FIG. 15 schematically illustrates one suitable assembly 900 formanufacturing an absorbent article 902 having the elasticized waistbandsystem 621 illustrated in FIGS. 10-14. Arrows 901 and 903 in FIG. 15depict the orientation of a machine direction and a cross-machinedirection, respectively, of the assembly 900. As seen in FIG. 15, acontinuous supply of material 904 used to form the chassis 34 isprovided from a suitable supply source 906 in the machine direction 901.Various components of the absorbent article can be disposed on and/orbonded to the chassis material 904 as the material travels in themachine direction 901, as described below.

A plurality of absorbent assemblies 908 are provided from a suitablesupply source such as, for example, an absorbent assembly forming module910 configured to form the absorbent assembly 36 illustrated anddescribed with reference to FIGS. 1-7B and/or the absorbent assembly 236illustrated and described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. In theillustrated embodiment, the absorbent assemblies 908 are delivered inthe machine direction 901 and disposed intermittently on thecontinuously moving chassis material 904, one for each absorbentarticle. In another suitable embodiment, a continuous web assemblyincluding a backsheet, a bodyside liner, and an absorbent structure canbe supplied by the absorbent assembly forming module 910 andsubsequently cut by a cutter 946 along with the absorbent article 902.

Adhesive can be applied to the chassis material 904 from an adhesiveapplicator 914 located downstream of the chassis material supply source906 for adhering the absorbent assemblies 908 to the chassis material904. The adhesive may be applied continuously or intermittently to thechassis material 904.

In addition to or instead of adhering the absorbent assemblies 908 tothe chassis material 904, the absorbent assemblies 908 and chassismaterial 904 can be transported through a bonding station 916 locateddownstream of the chassis material supply source 906 and the absorbentassembly supply source 910 to attach the absorbent assemblies 908 to thechassis material 904 and form a continuous web assembly 918 of chassismaterial 904 and absorbent assemblies 908. In one suitable embodiment,for example, the bonding station 916 includes a laminator roll and/or achill roll configured to press the absorbent assemblies 908 against thechassis material 904, and adhere the absorbent assemblies 908 to thechassis material 904 with the adhesive applied to the chassis material904 by the adhesive applicator 914. In another suitable embodiment, thebonding station 916 may include a rotary ultrasonic horn and an anvilroll configured to point bond the absorbent assemblies 908 (e.g., thebodyside liner and/or the backsheet of the absorbent assembly) to thechassis material 904 with or without the adhesive applied by theadhesive applicator 914.

The web assembly 918 has a body-facing side 920 defined by the chassisand the absorbent assembly and a garment-facing side 922 defined by thechassis material 904. The web assembly 918 also includes laterallyopposing side edges 924 which, in the illustrated embodiment, aredefined by laterally opposing side edges of the chassis material 904.

Two continuous webs of suitable waist elastic materials 926, 928 used toform the bodyside and garment-side waist elastic members 694, 696, 698,700 (FIGS. 10-14) are provided in the cross-machine direction 903 fromsuitable supply sources 930, 932, respectively. The supply sources 930,932 can comprise any suitable mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment,each web of waist elastic material 926, 928 is supplied by a singlesupply source 930, 932, respectively. It is understood, however, thatone or both of the waist elastic materials 926, 928 can be supplied bymore than one supply source, such as, for example, two, three, four,five, or any other suitable number of supply sources. Each of the websof waist elastic material 926, 928 is stretched along the direction inwhich the webs are fed using a plurality of tensioning rolls 934.

An adhesive applicator 933 applies adhesive to the web of waist elasticmaterial 926 for applying the waist elastic material 926 to thebody-facing side 920 of the web assembly 918. Similarly, an adhesiveapplicator 935 applies adhesive to the web of waist elastic material 928for applying the waist elastic material 928 to the garment-facing side922 of the web assembly 918. In one suitable embodiment, the adhesiveapplicators 933, 935 apply an elastic construction adhesive to the websof waist elastic material 926, 928, respectively, although any suitableadhesive may be applied by the adhesive applicators 933, 935.

The web of waist elastic material 926 used to form the bodyside waistelastic members 694, 696 is cut to form a plurality of discrete segments936 of waist elastic material, oriented with respect to the web assembly918, and applied to the body-facing side 920 of the web assembly 918 ata cutting, orienting, and application station 938. The discrete segments936 are maintained in a stretched configuration during the cutting,orienting, and application process.

In the illustrated embodiment, the discrete segments 936 are orientedgenerally in the cross-machine direction 903 before being applied to theweb assembly 918, which is traveling in the machine direction 901.Exemplary methods and apparatus for attaching discrete segments in across-machine direction to a web moving in a machine direction aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,780 issued May 31, 2005 to Rajala etal., which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, before thediscrete segments 936 are applied to the web assembly 918, the discretesegments 936 may be registered with the position of the web assembly 918and/or with respect to the position of the web of waist elastic material928 used to form the garment-side waist elastic members 698, 700 tofacilitate proper alignment of the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698,700 on the absorbent article 902.

The discrete segments 936 of waist elastic material are bonded to thebody-facing side 920 of the web assembly 918 at a bonding station 939using any suitable bonding technique. In one suitable embodiment, thediscrete segments 936 of waist elastic material 926 are point bonded tothe web assembly 918 using pressure, adhesive, thermal and/or ultrasonicbonding. In another suitable embodiment, the discrete segments 936 ofwaist elastic material 926 are bonded to the web assembly 918 withoutthe elastic construction adhesive applied by adhesive applicator 933.

The web of waist elastic material 928 used to form the garment-sidewaist elastic members 698, 700 is attached to the web assembly 918 usinga similar process as that used to attach bodyside waist elastic members694, 696. More specifically, the web of waist elastic material 928 usedto form the garment-side waist elastic members 698, 700 is cut into aplurality of discrete segments 940 of waist elastic material, orientedwith respect to the web assembly 918, and applied to the garment-facingside 922 of the web assembly 918 at a cutting, orienting, andapplication station 942. The discrete segments 940 are maintained in astretched configuration during the cutting, orienting, and applicationprocess. In the illustrated embodiment, the discrete segments 940 areoriented generally in the cross-machine direction 903 before beingapplied to the web assembly 918, which is traveling in the machinedirection 901. In addition, before the discrete segments 940 are appliedto the web assembly 918, the discrete segments 940 may be registeredwith the position of the web assembly 918 and/or with respect to theposition of the discrete segments 936 used to form the bodyside waistelastic members 694, 696 to facilitate proper alignment of the waistelastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 on the absorbent article 902. In onesuitable embodiment, for example, the discrete segments 940 are cut,oriented, stretched, and/or registered with the position of the webassembly 918 such that the laterally opposing side edges of the discretesegments 940 are aligned with the laterally opposing side edges 924 ofthe web assembly 918 when the discrete segments 940 are attached to theweb assembly 918. In another suitable embodiment, both discrete segments936, 940 are cut, oriented, stretched, and/or registered with theposition of the web assembly 918 and with respect to one another suchthat the laterally opposing side edges of the discrete segments 936, 940and the web assembly 918 are all aligned when the discrete segments 936,940 are attached to the web assembly 918.

The discrete segments 940 of waist elastic material are bonded to thegarment-facing side 922 of the web assembly 918 at a bonding station 943using any suitable bonding technique. In one suitable embodiment, thediscrete segments 940 of waist elastic material 928 are point bonded tothe web assembly 918 using pressure, adhesive, thermal and/or ultrasonicbonding. In another suitable embodiment, the discrete segments 940 ofwaist elastic material 928 are bonded to the web assembly 918 withoutthe elastic construction adhesive applied by adhesive applicator 935.

As noted above, the discrete segments 936, 940 of waist elastic materialare attached to the web assembly 918 under tension such that thediscrete segments 936, 940 are attached in an elongated state. Thediscrete segments 936, 940 of waist elastic material may be appliedunder any suitable amount of elongation. In one suitable embodiment, forexample, the discrete segments 936, 940 are attached to the web assembly918 at less than 60% elongation of the length of the discrete segment936, 940, and more suitably, at less than 20% elongation of the lengthof the discrete segment 936, 940. In the illustrated embodiment, eachdiscrete segment 936, 940 is applied to the web assembly 918 atsubstantially the same amount of elongation. It is understood, however,that the discrete segments 936, 940 can be applied to the web assembly918 at differing amounts of elongation. In one suitable embodiment, forexample, the discrete segments 936 which form the bodyside waist elasticmembers 694, 696 are attached to the web assembly 918 under a greateramount of elongation than the discrete segments 940 which form thegarment-side waist elastic members 698, 700. The different amounts ofelongation between the resulting bodyside elastic members 694, 696 andthe garment-side waist elastic members 698, 700 will cause the waistelastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 to curl inward toward the wearer whenplaced under tension, thereby providing a body conforming shape.

Next in the illustrated embodiment, a shaping mechanism 944 selectivelyremoves portions of the web assembly 918 to provide a desired shape,such as curved side edges for leg openings. Such shaping mechanisms aregenerally known to those skilled in the art and can include, forexample, rotary die cutters, oscillating water cutters, and lasers.Next, a cutter 946 selectively cuts the web assembly 918 into discrete,partially assembled absorbent articles 902. Such cutters 946 aregenerally known to those skilled in the art and can include, forexample, the combination of a cutting roll and an anvil roll throughwhich the web assembly 918 travels. In the illustrated embodiment, theweb assembly 918 is cut along a mid-line of at least one of the discretesegments 936, 940 such that a single discrete segment 936, 940 of waistelastic material forms a waist elastic member 694, 696, 698, 700 in twodifferent absorbent articles 902 (e.g., a leading absorbent article anda trailing absorbent article). In the illustrated embodiment, themid-line is a bisecting line, although it is contemplated that themid-line along which the discrete segments 936, 940 are cut can beoff-set from the center of the discrete segments such that the resultingwaist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 of a leading absorbent article902 have a different width than the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698,700 of a trailing absorbent article 902.

The absorbent articles 902 are then folded at a folding station,indicated generally at 948, using a suitable folding mechanism (e.g.,blade folders, linear folders, book folders, tucker blades). In onesuitable configuration, the articles 902 are folded about a fold linegenerally bisecting the training pant. As such, the front and back waistregions 22, 24 of each article are positioned in facing relationship.Once the articles 902 are folded they can be stacked and packaged.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15, the discrete segments 936, 940of waist elastic material are illustrated and described as beingattached to the web assembly 918 after the absorbent assemblies 908 areattached to the chassis material 904. It is contemplated, however, thatthe discrete segments 936, 940 of waist elastic material may be attachedto the web assembly 918 and/or the chassis material 904 at any suitabletime during the process illustrated in FIG. 15. In one suitableembodiment, for example, the discrete segments 936 of waist elasticmaterial are attached to the web of chassis material 904 before theabsorbent assemblies 908 are attached to the chassis material 904 suchthat each discrete segment 936 is interposed between a respectiveabsorbent assembly 908 and the chassis material 904.

FIG. 16 schematically illustrates another suitable apparatus 1000 formanufacturing an absorbent article 1002 having the elasticized waistbandsystem 621 illustrated in FIGS. 10-14. The apparatus 1000 issubstantially similar to the assembly 900 illustrated in FIG. 15, exceptthe web assembly 1020 of apparatus 1000 is formed from a web ofbacksheet material 1004, a plurality of absorbent structures 1008, and aweb of bodyside liner material 1012.

More specifically, a continuous supply of liquid impermeable backsheetmaterial 1004 is provided from a suitable supply source 1006 in themachine direction 1001.

A plurality of absorbent structures 1008 are provided from a suitablesupply source such as, for example, an absorbent structure formingmodule 1010 configured to form absorbent structures, such as theabsorbent structures 50 illustrated and described above with referenceto FIGS. 1-7B. In the illustrated embodiment, the absorbent structures1008 are delivered in the machine direction 1001 and disposedintermittently on the continuously moving backsheet material 1004, onefor each absorbent article. The absorbent structures can be bonded toone or more other components using adhesives, or other suitable means.

Similar to the assembly 900, adhesive can be applied to the backsheetmaterial 1004 from an adhesive applicator 914 located downstream of thebacksheet material supply source 1006 for adhering the absorbentstructures 1008 to the backsheet material 1004.

A continuous web of bodyside liner material 1012 is provided in themachine direction from a suitable supply source 1014. In the illustratedembodiment, an adhesive applicator 1016 applies an adhesive to the webof bodyside liner material 1012, and the web of bodyside liner material1012 is attached to the web of backsheet material 1004 at a bondingstation 1018 to form a web assembly 1020. In one suitable embodiment,for example, the bonding station 1018 includes a laminator roll and/or achill roll configured to adhere the web of bodyside liner material 1012to the web of backsheet material 1004. In another suitable embodiment,the bonding station 1018 may include a rotary ultrasonic horn and ananvil roll configured to point bond the bodyside liner material 1012 tothe backsheet material 1004.

The web assembly 1020 has a body-facing side 1022 defined by thebodyside liner material 1012 and a garment-facing side 1024 defined bythe backsheet material 1004. The web assembly 1020 also includeslaterally opposing side edges 1026 which, in the illustrated embodiment,are defined by laterally opposing side edges of the backsheet material1004.

The waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 are attached to the webassembly 1020 in the same manner as described above with reference toFIG. 15. Specifically, continuous webs of suitable waist elasticmaterials 926, 928 used to form the bodyside and garment-side waistelastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 (FIGS. 10-14) are provided in thecross-machine direction 1003 from suitable supply sources 930, 932,respectively. The supply sources 930, 932 can comprise any suitablemechanism. In the illustrated embodiment, each web of waist elasticmaterial 926, 928 is supplied by a single supply source 930, 932,respectively. It is understood, however, that one or both of the waistelastic materials 926, 928 can be supplied by more than one supplysource, such as, for example, two, three, four, five, or any othersuitable number of supply sources. Each of the webs of waist elasticmaterial 926, 928 is stretched along the direction in which the webs arefed using a plurality of tensioning rolls 934.

An adhesive applicator 933 applies adhesive to the web of waist elasticmaterial 926 for applying the waist elastic material 926 to thebody-facing side 1022 of the web assembly 1020. Similarly, an adhesiveapplicator 935 applies adhesive to the web of waist elastic material 928for applying the waist elastic material 928 to the garment-facing side1024 of the web assembly 1020. In one suitable embodiment, the adhesiveapplicators 933, 935 apply an elastic construction adhesive to the websof waist elastic material 926, 928, respectively, although any suitableadhesive may be applied by the adhesive applicators 933, 935.

The web of waist elastic material 926 used to form the bodyside waistelastic members 694, 696 is cut to form a plurality of discrete segments936 of waist elastic material, oriented with respect to the web assembly918, and applied to the body-facing side 920 of the web assembly 918 ata cutting, orienting, and application station 938. The discrete segments936 are maintained in a stretched configuration during the cutting,orienting and process.

In the illustrated embodiment, the discrete segments 936 are orientedgenerally in the cross-machine direction 1003 before being bonded to theweb assembly 1020, which is traveling in the machine direction 1001. Inaddition, before the discrete segments 936 are applied to the webassembly 1020, the discrete segments 936 may be registered with theposition of the web assembly 1020 and/or with respect to the position ofthe web of waist elastic material 928 used to form the garment-sidewaist elastic members 698, 700 to facilitate proper alignment of thewaist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 on the absorbent article 1002.

The discrete segments 936 of waist elastic material are bonded to thebody-facing side 1022 of the web assembly 1020 at the bonding station939 using any suitable bonding technique. In one suitable embodiment,the discrete segments 936 of waist elastic material 926 are point bondedto the web assembly 1020 using pressure, adhesive, thermal and/orultrasonic bonding. In another suitable embodiment, the discretesegments 936 of waist elastic material 926 are bonded to the webassembly 1020 without the elastic construction adhesive applied byadhesive applicator 933.

The web of waist elastic material 928 used to form the garment-sidewaist elastic members 698, 700 is attached to the web assembly 918 usinga similar process as that used to attach bodyside waist elastic members694, 696. More specifically, the web of waist elastic material 928 usedto form the garment-side waist elastic members 698, 700 is cut into aplurality of discrete segments 940 of waist elastic material, orientedwith respect to the web assembly 1020, and applied to the garment-facingside 1024 of the web assembly 1020 at a cutting, orienting, andapplication station 942. The discrete segments 940 are maintained in astretched configuration during the cutting, orienting, and applicationprocess. In the illustrated embodiment, the discrete segments 940 areoriented generally in the cross-machine direction 1003 before beingapplied to the web assembly 1020, which is traveling in the machinedirection 1001. In addition, before the discrete segments 940 areapplied to the web assembly 1020, the discrete segments 940 may beregistered with the position of the web assembly 1020 and/or withrespect to the position of the discrete segments 936 used to form thebodyside waist elastic members 694, 696 to facilitate proper alignmentof the waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 on the absorbent article1002. In one suitable embodiment, for example, the discrete segments 940are cut, oriented, stretched, and/or registered with the position of theweb assembly 1020 such that the laterally opposing side edges of thediscrete segments 940 are aligned with the laterally opposing side edges1026 of the web assembly 1020 when the discrete segments 940 areattached to the web assembly 1020. In another suitable embodiment, bothdiscrete segments 936, 940 are cut, oriented, stretched, and/orregistered with the position of the web assembly 1020 and with respectto one another such that that the laterally opposing side edges of thediscrete segments 936, 940 and the web assembly 1020 are all alignedwhen the discrete segments 936, 940 are attached to the web assembly1020.

The discrete segments 940 of waist elastic material are bonded to thegarment-facing side 1024 of the web assembly 1020 at the bonding station943 using any suitable bonding technique. In one suitable embodiment,the discrete segments 940 of waist elastic material 928 are point bondedto the web assembly 1020 using pressure, adhesive, thermal and/orultrasonic bonding. In another suitable embodiment, the discretesegments 940 of waist elastic material 928 are bonded to the webassembly 1020 using an elastic construction adhesive.

Next in the illustrated embodiment, a shaping mechanism 944 selectivelyremoves portions of the web assembly 1020 to provide a desired shape,such as curved side edges for leg openings. Such shaping mechanisms aregenerally known to those skilled in the art and can include, forexample, rotary die cutters, oscillating water cutters, and lasers.Next, a cutter 946 selectively cuts the web assembly 1020 into discrete,partially assembled absorbent articles 1002. In the illustratedembodiment, the web assembly 1020 is cut along a mid-line of at leastone of the discrete segments 936, 940 such that a single discretesegment 936, 940 of waist elastic material forms a waist elastic member694, 696, 698, 700 in two different absorbent articles 1002 (e.g., aleading absorbent article and a trailing absorbent article). In theillustrated embodiment, the mid-line is a bisecting line, although it iscontemplated that the mid-line along which the discrete segments 936,940 are cut can be off-set from the center of the discrete segments suchthat the resulting waist elastic members 694, 696, 698, 700 of a leadingabsorbent article 1002 have a different width than the waist elasticmembers 694, 696, 698, 700 of a trailing absorbent article 1002.

The absorbent articles 1002 are then folded at a folding station,indicated generally at 948, using a suitable folding mechanism (e.g.,blade folders, linear folders, book folders, tucker blades). In onesuitable configuration, the articles 1002 are folded about a fold linegenerally bisecting the training pant. As such, the front and back waistregions 22, 24 of each article are positioned in facing relationship.Once the articles 1002 are folded they can be stacked and packaged.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16, the discrete segments 936, 940of waist elastic material are illustrated and described as beingattached to the web assembly 1020 after the absorbent structures 1008are attached to the backsheet material 1004. It is contemplated,however, that the discrete segments 936, 940 of waist elastic materialmay be attached to the web assembly 1020, the backsheet material 1004,and/or the bodyside liner material 1012 at any suitable time during theprocess illustrated in FIG. 16. In one suitable embodiment, for example,the discrete segments 936 of waist elastic material are attached to theweb of backsheet material 1004 before the absorbent structures 1008 areattached to the backsheet material 1004 such that each discrete segment936 is interposed between a respective absorbent structure 1008 and thebacksheet material 1004.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferredembodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising,” “including”, and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing absorbent articles,the method comprising: delivering a continuous web assembly including abacksheet material, a liquid permeable bodyside liner material, and anabsorbent structure interposed between the backsheet material and thebodyside liner material, the web assembly having a body-facing side anda garment-facing side; attaching a discrete segment of first waistelastic material to the body-facing side of the web assembly; attachinga discrete segment of second waist elastic material to thegarment-facing side of the web assembly such that the web assembly isinterposed between the discrete segments of first and second waistelastic materials; attaching a discrete segment of third waist elasticmaterial to the body-facing side of the web assembly; attaching adiscrete segment of fourth waist elastic material to the garment-facingside of the web assembly such that the web assembly is interposedbetween the discrete segments of third and fourth waist elasticmaterials; and cutting the web assembly to form a plurality of absorbentarticles.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one ofattaching the discrete segment of first waist elastic material andattaching the discrete segment of second waist elastic materialcomprises: moving a web of waist elastic material; cutting the web ofwaist elastic material into a plurality of discrete segments of waistelastic material; orienting the discrete segments of waist elasticmaterial in a cross-machine direction; and attaching the discretesegments of waist elastic material to the web assembly in thecross-machine direction.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 1 furthercomprising: registering one of the discrete segments of first waistelastic material and second waist elastic material with the webassembly; and registering the other of the discrete segments of firstwaist elastic material and second waist elastic material with thediscrete segment of waist elastic material registered with the webassembly.
 4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the web assemblyincludes laterally opposing side edges, the discrete segment of secondwaist elastic material includes laterally opposing side edges, andattaching the discrete segment of second waist elastic material includesattaching the discrete segment of second waist elastic to thegarment-facing side of the web assembly such that the side edges of thediscrete segment are substantially aligned with the side edges of theweb assembly.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein cutting theweb assembly comprises cutting the discrete segment of first waistelastic material and the discrete segment of second waist elasticmaterial along a mid-line to form two absorbent articles each having atleast one bodyside waist elastic member and at least one garment-sidewaist elastic member.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein atleast one of the discrete segment of first waist elastic material andthe discrete segment of second waist elastic material are stretched inthe cross-machine direction before being attached to the web assembly.7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the discrete segment offirst waist elastic material is attached to the web assembly under agreater amount of elongation than the discrete segment of second waistelastic material.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 1 whereinattaching at least one of the discrete segment of first waist elasticmaterial and the discrete segment of second waist elastic materialcomprises at least one of thermal bonding, pressure bonding, adhesivebonding, and ultrasonic bonding.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 1wherein at least one of attaching the discrete segment of first waistelastic material and attaching the discrete segment of second waistelastic material comprises attaching the discrete segment of waistelastic material using an elastic construction adhesive.
 10. The methodas set forth in claim 1 wherein the backsheet material comprises aliquid impermeable material.
 11. A method for manufacturing absorbentarticles, the method comprising: delivering a continuous web assemblyincluding a backsheet material, a liquid permeable bodyside linermaterial, and an absorbent structure interposed between the backsheetmaterial and the bodyside liner material, the web assembly having abody-facing side and a garment-facing side; attaching a discrete segmentof first waist elastic material to the body-facing side of the webassembly to define a bodyside front waist elastic member; attaching adiscrete segment of second waist elastic material to the garment-facingside of the web assembly to define a garment-side front waist elasticmember such that the web assembly is interposed between the discretesegments of first and second waist elastic materials; attaching adiscrete segment of third waist elastic material to the body-facing sideof the web assembly to define a bodyside rear waist elastic member;attaching a discrete segment of fourth waist elastic material to thegarment-facing side of the web assembly to define a garment-side rearwaist elastic member such that the web assembly is interposed betweenthe discrete segments of third and fourth waist elastic materials; andcutting the web assembly to form a plurality of absorbent articles. 12.The method as set forth in claim 11 further comprising stretching thediscrete segment of first waist elastic material before attaching thediscrete segment of first waist elastic material to the body-facing sideof the web assembly.
 13. The method as set forth in claim 12 furthercomprising stretching the discrete segment of second waist elasticmaterial before attaching the discrete segment of second waist elasticmaterial to the garment-facing side of the web assembly.
 14. The methodas set forth in claim 13 wherein the discrete segment of first waistelastic material is stretched a greater amount than the discrete segmentof second waist elastic material.
 15. The method as set forth in claim11 further comprising: supplying a first continuous web of waist elasticmaterial to a cutting station; cutting the first continuous web of waistelastic material at the cutting station to define a plurality of thediscrete segments of first waist elastic material; supplying a secondcontinuous web of waist elastic material to a cutting station; andcutting the second continuous web of waist elastic material at thecutting station to define a plurality of the discrete segments of secondwaist elastic material.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 11 furthercomprising registering the discrete segment of second waist elasticmaterial in opposed relationship with the first waist elastic materialbefore attaching the discrete segment of second waist elastic materialto the garment-facing side of the web assembly.
 17. The method as setforth in claim 16 wherein attaching the discrete segment of second waistelastic material to the garment-facing side of the web assemblycomprises point bonding the discrete segment of second waist elasticmaterial to the garment-facing side of the web assembly.
 18. A methodfor manufacturing absorbent articles, the method comprising: deliveringa continuous web assembly including a backsheet material, a liquidpermeable bodyside liner material, and an absorbent structure interposedbetween the backsheet material and the bodyside liner material, the webassembly having a body-facing side and a garment-facing side; attachinga discrete segment of first waist elastic material to the body-facingside of the web assembly to define a bodyside rear waist elastic member;attaching a discrete segment of second waist elastic material to thegarment-facing side of the web assembly to define a garment-side rearwaist elastic member such that the web assembly is interposed betweenthe discrete segments of first and second waist elastic materials;attaching a discrete segment of third waist elastic material to thebody-facing side of the web assembly to define a bodyside front waistelastic member; attaching a discrete segment of fourth waist elasticmaterial to the garment-facing side of the web assembly to define agarment-side front waist elastic member such that the web assembly isinterposed between the discrete segments of third and fourth waistelastic materials; and cutting the web assembly to form a plurality ofabsorbent articles.
 19. The method as set forth in claim 18 furthercomprising stretching the discrete segment of first waist elasticmaterial before attaching the discrete segment of first waist elasticmaterial to the body-facing side of the web assembly.
 20. The method asset forth in claim 19 further comprising stretching the discrete segmentof second waist elastic material before attaching the discrete segmentof second waist elastic material to the garment-facing side of the webassembly.
 21. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the discretesegment of first waist elastic material is stretched a greater amountthan the discrete segment of second waist elastic material.
 22. Themethod as set forth in claim 18 further comprising: supplying a firstcontinuous web of waist elastic material to a cutting station; cuttingthe first continuous web of waist elastic material at the cuttingstation to define a plurality of the discrete segments of first waistelastic material; supplying a second continuous web of waist elasticmaterial to a cutting station; and cutting the second continuous web ofwaist elastic material at the cutting station to define a plurality ofthe discrete segments of second waist elastic material.
 23. The methodas set forth in claim 18 further comprising registering the discretesegment of second waist elastic material in opposed relationship withthe first waist elastic material before attaching the discrete segmentof second waist elastic material to the garment-facing side of the webassembly.
 24. The method as set forth in claim 23 wherein attaching thediscrete segment of second waist elastic material to the garment-facingside of the web assembly comprises point bonding the discrete segment ofsecond waist elastic material to the garment-facing side of the webassembly.